Impacts of β-cyclodextrin bead polymer (BBP) treatment on the quality of red and white wines: Color, polyphenol content, and electronic tongue analysis

Cyclodextrin (CD) polymers have been tested to be suitable candidates to remove certain harmful compounds (e.g., mycotoxins) from aqueous matrices, including different beverages. However, the impacts of CD polymers on wine quality have been barely characterized yet. Therefore, in the present work, we aimed to examine the effects of increasing concentrations of insoluble (but water-swellable) β-CD bead polymer (BBP) on the quality of red and white wines. We evaluated the BBP-induced changes in the color, the total polyphenol content as well as in the trans-resveratrol and quercetin concentrations of wine samples. Furthermore, e-tongue analyses were also performed as a highly sensitive tool to examine the influence of BBP on the taste of wines. Our results demonstrate that lower (5–10 mg/mL or below) concentrations of BBP induced typically minor changes in the color, total polyphenol content, or taste of wines tested. However, the concentrations of certain polyphenols (e.g., trans-resveratrol and quercetin) can be markedly affected.